Cairns lockdown: Infected taxi driver sends city into lockdown

A taxi driver who was infectious in the community for 10 days has plunged Cairns and Yarrabah lockdown, with concerns there’s a “real risk” it may have spread.

The Far North Queensland city of Cairns and the Indigenous community in Yarrabah have been put into lockdown after an unexpected case has thrown contact tracers.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said she “was very concerned” after a taxi driver was infectious in the community for 10 days and said more testing had to be done.

The lockdown will begin from 4pm today and last for three days. However residents will be able to have to visitors into their homes.

“It is essentially a lockdown that the 11 LGAs went to, but they will be allowed to have up to two visitors to come and visit their homes,” she said.

“I am very concerned. Dr Young is very concerned. We need to get on top of this very, very quickly.”

RELATED: Follow all of today’s updates in our live Covid-19 blog here

Despite the state only recording nine new cases, officials have acted quickly to prevent the spread in Cairns. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Dan Peled

Ms Palaszczuk also said her government would be looking into creating a business support package and will request Prime Minister Scott Morrison to declare the city a hot spot.

“We need more testing in Cairns. I am very concerned.”

Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young said it was imperative for the community to come out and get tested and said there was a “real risk” the virus has already spread.

It’s believed the taxi driver worker from July 31 to August 4 and visited several venues which will be listed later today. Contact tracers are now combing through taxi records, with Ms Young thanking the man for coming forward.

“He worked as a taxi driver from 31 July through to 4 August but that is relatively controlled because we can then work with the taxi agency to work out who was in his taxi cab,” she said.

“Of course, he has been out and about, he has been living his normal life.”

Dr Young also hinted that Cairns and Yarrabah may need to extend their lockdown or tighten restriction which would ban households from having two visitors.

“There is a real risk this already could have spread, which is why from 4pm today, we need to go into lockdown, initially for three days, and I hope that is all that is needed, to work out what the risk is,” she said.

“But we all know that once the virus has got out, we can’t put it.”

back. So we’ve got to go really early.”

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Entry into Yarrabah was also highly policed during the initial Covid-19 outbreak in 2020 due fears it would seed into the community. Picture: Brian Cassey.

The proximity of Cairns and the remote First Nations community of Yarrabah is also concerning officials. The Indigenous community is located 55kms east of Cairns and has a population of 2559 people according to the 2016 census.

Although Dr Young said the infected driver did not visit the area, she said the measures were put in place to protect the vulnerable communities.

“It is just because we know that people in Yarrabah really and truly worked and moved into Cairns, so although it is a remote First Nations community, it is very close,” she said. “So that is why, just to protect them.”

The Cairns and Yarrabah lockdown comes as the rest of the state will come out of lockdown from 4pm today. Although restrictions will remain for the 11 affected LGAs, households will be able to have up to 10 people in their home and are now able to attend hospitals, aged care facilities, dining, retail, gyms and other venues as well.

However, masks will still need to be worn unless exercising or walking by yourself.